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[Ghana’s] Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has suspended trials of GMO cotton in the country after US Company Monsanto withdrew funding.

Monsanto, the world’s leading Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) seeds producer is facing challenges in Burkina Faso after that country rejected GMO cotton and began a phased withdrawal of the novel products. Farmers have now returned to growing conventional seeds.

The trials being undertaken by CSIR scientists form part of regulatory requirements before the GMO cotton can be commercialized in Ghana. The development means there will be no GMO cotton for farmers to make use of anytime soon.

Work on the project froze in 2016 but Researcher at the Savaanah Agric Research Institute (SARI) of the CSIR and Principal Investigator on the project Dr. Emmanuel Chamba tells Joy news it’s now been officially suspended.

“After two years of the on-station confined field trials, the next step was to go to the farmers’ field. After which we will be thinking of commercial release. Unfortunately, because of the situation in Burkina Faso, Monsanto pulled out.

“And because Monsanto was funding the program, they suspended it in Ghana also,” Dr. Chamba explained in an interview with Joy News’ Joseph Opoku Gakpo.

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